Germany says it will back UN resolution affirming Palestinian statehood under international law

The Palestinian national flag flies from the highest point of the West Bank Palestinian city of Rawabi, north of Ramallah, on June 4, 2016. (Nasser Nasser / AP)

Germany will support a United Nations resolution that reaffirms Palestinian statehood under international law but does not amount to formal recognition, a government spokesman told Reuters on Thursday.

“Germany will support such a resolution which simply describes the status quo in international law,” the spokesman said, adding that Berlin “has always advocated a two-state solution and is asking for that all the time.”

“The chancellor just mentioned two days ago again that Germany does not see that the time has come for the recognition of the Palestinian state,” the spokesman added.

Britain, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium have all said they will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, although London said it could hold back if Israel were to take steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and commit to a long-term peace process.

The United States strongly opposes any move by its European allies to recognize Palestinian independence.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the U.S. has told other countries that recognition of a Palestinian state will cause more problems.

Those who see recognition as a largely symbolic gesture point to the negligible presence on the ground and limited influence in the conflict of countries such as China, India, Russia and many Arab states that have recognized Palestinian independence for decades.

Andreas Rinke, Surbhi Misra and Ananya Palyekar, Reuters